Ray Bennett
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If the Lord Be God

The latest song I posted "If the Lord Be God" is based on Elijah and the prophets of Baal story.

I sometimes find it amazing that it is so easy for us to slip away from God, even when we know what He has done for us and who He is. The chorus is taken from Elijah's words; "How long will you hesitate, if the Lord be God, then follow Him."

What is Worship?

I heard someone say once that the worship was becoming stale in their church. That person evidently had no idea what worship is. To many people, worship is singing praise and worship songs. To others, it is singing the old hymns. Still others consider the preaching of God’s word to be worship. But I submit that none of these things is worship. Worship is when you, as God’s creation, give glory and honor to Him.
Can you worship while listening to music? Of course you can. Can you worship while listening to a sermon? Yes, you can. But the key is that worship is between you and God. When you come to a “worship service”, you must be ready to worship. Only you can worship. Worship isn’t created by music or by preaching. Both of these can enhance your worship, but unless you are coming to give glory and honor to God, there is no worship.
Do you need to be in a “worship service” to worship? The answer is no. Having a daily quiet time with the Lord can be a great form of worship. In many ways, this is the greatest form of worship. Pouring your heart out to your Savior in prayer shows that you truly worship Him. Ministering to others is also a form of worship, as is giving offerings.
When you begin to realize what God has done for you, you can’t help but worship Him. You will worship Him at home, at work, and especially at church. But, if you are depending on your church to “create” worship for you, you just don’t understand the meaning of the word worship.

Enjoying Yourself in Church

Is it wrong to have a good time in the worship service?
Many of us grew up with the idea that the worship service had to be a very serious time, and that laughter was out of the question. I wonder where we ever got such an idea? Yes, it is a time for serious reflection, but I also believe the Lord would want us to be ourselves in worship.
This morning's worship service started out with some noticeable mistakes by the handbell choir which caused several people to laugh. I wonder if that was God telling us to "loosen up?" When it came time for the scripture reading, the deacon lost his place and laughter again erupted. Then the praise band started and hit the wrong button on the drum machine and had to restart.
I believe all these mishaps did an important thing; they made everyone pay attention to the service. Many times, some of the people are off in their own world, instead of focusing on worship. All the laughter allowed the people to relax and become a part of the worship service. Then, when the pastor opened his sermon with a thought provoking song, everyone was paying attention. Were it not for the early mishaps, many would have mentally pulled away from worship. But as it were, the people enjoyed a little laughter, and were touched by a powerful message in song. But even more importantly, God was lifted up.
So back to my original question; "Is it wrong to have a good time in the worship service?" Quite the contrary, we should always enjoy ourselves in church. Does that mean having standup comedy? No, worship should be a meaningful time. However, a little laughter now and then, does a heart good.

snow day

Yesterday, the roads were too icy for my old pickup, so I stayed home and wrote a song. I started with a line "This would be a good day to sing about my Creator" and I developed the idea around that.
I find it amazing that there are people who claim to be atheists. How can you look at this world and not see a magnificent creator? Common sense tells you this world is no accident. (By the way, for those of you who are into science, I just finished reading a good book by Roger Patterson entitled "Evolution Exposed." It's a pretty deep read with lots of facts, but I highly recommend it.)
Anyway, the song turned out great and I may add it to my new CD. I guess the moral of the story is there's no such thing as a bad day; it's just what you make of it. Icy roads are good for songwriting.

Seek Ye the Lord

Sitting in an airport one day I was watching people passing by. It seemed like everyone was in a hurry. That's the way many of us live our lives. We're so busy trying to get ahead, or even just keep up, we miss a lot of the joys of life.
SLOW DOWN! Wait on the Lord. Seek Him first. That's what this song talks about. If you will seek Him first, you will live a much more contented life.

Just You and Me, Lord

I got the idea for this song when I was thinking about the cult group in Waco, Texas that were stockpiling weapons. This definitely didn't demonstrate trust in the Lord!
Although most Christians aren't joining survival groups, many of us do have trouble completely trusting the Lord.
This song is a comedy tune with a message.

This Holy Place

It seems today that Christians rarely come to the altar once they have been saved. I know there is nothing sacred about an altar in a church, but the altar where you first committed your life to the Lord often has a special signifigance to you.
This song talks about how easy it is for us to stray from following the Lord, and how we need to renew our relationship when we realize we have drifted away.

Can You See Through the sin?

This song came out of a personal experience. I was going to the grocery store early one afternoon when I saw a man stumbling down the middle of the street with his bottle in a plain brown sack. My first reaction was to laugh at his drunken behavior, but then it was like the Lord slapped me, and said "Who do you think you are?" I began to realize that the Lord died to save him just as He died to save me. I felt ashamed for laughing. I went home and the words to this song flew from my pen in about 15-20 minutes.